'Chosen's' Milo Ventimiglia to online series critics: 'You're a dinosaur, and you're going to become extinct'

Television viewers know Milo Ventimiglia well from such projects as NBC's "Heroes" and TNT's "Mob City," but when he's not working in front of the camera, he's behind it, as a producer. One of his projects is the original digital series
"Chosen," currently in its second season at Sony's online network Crackle (season three begins April 15, with new star Rose McGowan).

Ventimiglia also does double duty as one of the show's stars, playing Ian Mitchell, a husband and father who becomes part of an elaborate game, with the lives of his wife (Nicky Whelan) and daughter at stake.

Milo Ventimiglia: As an actor, I go to the written word first, because those are the words I've got to speak. Then, as a producer, I go through the written word, because those are the words you tell a story with. It's aligning myself with great creative (talent) and great people and telling stories that you're passionate about.

Zap2it: Were you ever worried that doing digital series like "Chosen" would damage your reputation?

Ventimiglia: I've been in digital for a long time, since 2006, 2007, doing a lot of what people would call Web series and branded entertainment. So I never really saw it as a stigma.

Zap2it: Are some actors concerned about doing digital series because some might assume they can't get film or TV work?

Ventimiglia: It has nothing to do with that at all. In terms of attracting talent, After nearly 20 years of doing this myself, I've made a lot of friends I can reach out to. I've given them my own vote of confidence about the work. Then you scrap it all, and you say, "Give me two minutes of your time," and you show a teaser.

Then you go, "How can you, as an artist, as an actor, deny that this is amazing?" The work speaks for itself. Anybody who would possibly not want to do it because it's digital, well, you're a dinosaur, and you're going to become extinct.